Desktops, laptops, mobile devices and other computing devices are able to run various applications, including calendar applications and mapping applications.
Calendar applications enable users to schedule appointments, meetings or other events. Users can enter event descriptions, event location information, start times, end times, enable reminders, share calendars remotely with other users, send meeting requests, set up recurring events, and perform a variety of other related functions. Typically, the user manually enters information describing an appointment or event (or cuts and pastes this information from another application that may contain this information). A very limited amount of linking to other applications is provided. For example, when setting up a meeting, some applications enable direct access to an address book to pull up names of contacts to be invited (along with their e-mail addresses).
Map applications enable networked users to download map data from a map data server for rendering digital maps onscreen. These maps can be obtained for specific addresses, for the current location (where the device is position-aware), or can simply enable the user to zoom and pan from a starting map of the world or their continent. Typically, a location or address to be mapped is specified manually or by cutting and pasting address information from another source. For example, some applications enable direct mapping of contact address information.
Although calendaring and mapping applications are popular, it remains desirable to provide greater synergy or interactivity between these applications.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.